Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "ming-dynasty"

Writing Pirates: Vernacular Fiction and Oceans in Late Ming China by Yuanfei Wang

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In 1827, the German writer Goethe coined the phrase “world literature.” One might think this referred to literature written in all countries; in reality, he had a narrower perspective: books translated into European languages and in which the characters sailed from European ports to visit other locales.

This narrow Western view also pertains to colonial expansion. During the Ming dynasty, many Chinese emigrated and established communities elsewhere in Asia. Such diasporas, however, weren’t state-sponsored as they were in the West. Key to such expansion is the ocean, for conveyance to other locations often involved the maritime world. Trade was a key component of that during this time period, despite the Ming government’s occasional sea bans prohibiting foreign trade. When these occurred, legitimate merchant traders turned to piracy and smuggling to conduct business.

The author combines these two themes – piracy and colonialism – to study Ming literature that was published for the general public as opposed to more formal writings meant for the educated class. Her purpose is to show that these 16th- and 17th-century offerings provide fresh perspectives and new ways of looking at Chinese literature and the Chinese way of life. This period was one of upheaval and terror, but it also produced a wide offering of unofficial histories, vernacular fiction, and regional depictions of confrontations at sea and Chinese communities in places like Siam, Japan, and Korea.

The book is divided into three parts: Southeast Asia, Japan, and Jiangnan, China. Each of these has two chapters that examine how the writers depict Chinese culture and race within those regions and among the pirates found there. Literary passages are provided in both English and Chinese. Color illustrations are found throughout the book. The book includes footnotes and an index. At the end of her conclusion, the author poses questions geared toward future studies.

One of this book’s strengths is the author’s understanding of piracy. She makes it clear from the start that words and images most readers use to identify pirates do not equate to those found in Asian waters. At the same time, she shows common threads to demonstrate parallels between Western and Eastern literature. Her approach is twofold: to emphasize the importance of history and to show how depictions of that history change over time.

Writing Pirates is an interesting and eye-opening look at an often-studied historical period but from a different perspective. Although some familiarity with Asian piracy may be helpful, it’s not essential. While Writing Pirates is a bountiful and valuable treasure for any academic library where literature and piracy are popular fields of study, this book has a limited audience because it is a scholarly work. Since it is a study of vernacular literature, Writing Pirates would gain a wider and equally appreciative audience if there were also a version written for the general public.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...)




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